Future

More of a setting than a story, though i might write a story based on it later. 

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It did not happen overnight. The threat of food insecurity and outright starvation had plagued humankind for all of its existence but by the beginning of the 22nd century it was all but wiped out. Between hydroponics, desalination system and genetically engineered crops even the poorest, most isolated communities could count on eating healthy, nutritious meals every day. In the year 2135, the UN held an official celebration,  declaring that world hunger had been solved.

Again, it took a while for the situation to evolve further. The food production, against the expectations of analysts and researches, outpaced the population growth. The price of food worldwide plummeted, until everyone could not just afford to eat regular meals – it became possible, and indeed common for anyone to purchase excessive amounts of food at extremely cheap prices.

And that’s when it really started. The average weight of the population massively increased – in a couple decades after that fateful proclamation what used to be considered obesity was the norm. Medical science struggled to keep up with such a change in diet on such a massive scale, but that was just the beginning. By the year 2200, most people were beyond the conventional definition of morbidly obese. Barely able to walk unassisted, most enjoyed isolated, sedentary lives where social interaction, work and leisure activities were all conducted from home through the advanced technology of the time. The WHO enacted a series of reforms – first, a new form of categorization for weight classes that would more accurately describe the size of the people, abandoning the long-outdated BMI. Second, the opening of a large number of bariatric centres in every major city to treat the inevitable complications that came with such an obese population. For a short while, the situation seemed like it could stabilize; this didn’t last. Before the end of 2210, not only was morbid obesity the norm, but the average weight had skyrocketed to such a degree that even the advanced medical equipment developed in the intervening years could not keep up. The average lifespan, which had been mostly stable for decades, rapidly decreased until dying at  40 years of age was considered the norm. Then it decreased again. Making it to 35 was rare, but possible. Dying around 30 of some combination of organ failure, diabetes, respiratory problems and various forms of digestive distress was the norm. International organizations scrambled to find a solution, but came up empty – the culture had shifted along with the bodies and most came to accept that one’s life consisted of a childhood of pampering and overeating, becoming obese around the start of puberty, finishing their education and working for a decade or two as their weight piled on and medical conditions slowly (or not so slowly) destroyed their bodies. Birthrates lowered across the globe – the general isolation of modern life afforded very little in-person intimacy, and the deteriorating health wrecked most people’s fertility.

With such short life spans to look forward to, and few chances to have a family legacy, most people began to obsesses with being remembered after death. It started with the wealthiest of society building massive, complex mausoleums to host their enormous bodies after death and commemorate their lives in grandiose, heroic terms. Soon, the less wealthy followed suit, building imposing tombs and memorials; As cities shrank, the land was claimed by gigantic Necropolis, often arranged similar to living cities, with skyscraper-sized mausoleums of the richest families in the centre and suburbs of smaller graves, monuments and pyramids of the average citizens. Death had become the norm; life, a brief interlude before eternity.

Visiting the graves of celebrities became a popular past time, to the point that a few people even went to see them in person rather than through virtual reality. Thus, celebrities began to construct the most extravagant and luxurious of tombs, true attractions for their fans. Not only that, but many among them realized that the peak of popularity was just before they died, as throngs of adoring fans religiously followed their deteriorating health. Bedbound, covered in sores, sponsored by pharmaceutical companies and using designer medical devices by the top bariatric brands: that was the image of a 23rd century influencer.

And of course, nothing compared to their funerals – garish, extravagant, excessive in any way. Gigantic coffins mounted on treads and decorated with all sorts of bling, corporate sponsors, live commentary accompanied their inhumanly enormous bodies to their place of rest…